


Further Off-Colored, A Smaller Runt

by WizScooter



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Amethyst is Stevens mom, Gen, i still suck at tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-06-19 12:56:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15510378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WizScooter/pseuds/WizScooter
Summary: What if Steven was Amethyst's son?Cover:





	1. Gem Glow

In Beach City, Delmarva, there is a popular donut shop. (Well, popular for a town with about 15 people.) A teenage boy, and a teenage girl work here. And right now, they're very carefully watching a chubby young boy as he stares at a freezer.

His dark brown hair falls almost to his shoulders, hanging over one eye. "No!" He suddenly cries out. "Sadie, what happened?"

"Sorry Steven." The girl says sympathetically. "Guess they stopped making them."

"Why in the world would they stop making cookie cats!?" Steven hugged the freezer tight.

"Guess they couldn't compete with Lion Lickers." The boy gestures to a much larger ice cream freezer.

"What?! No one likes Lion Lickers." He slid down the counter, flopping onto his stomach. He mumbled something like, "GhokieGhts burdabes thngtohppen ththiwald." 

"Are you crying?"

"No!" He sat up, wiping at his eyes.

"If you like them so much, why don't you just make some more with your magic?" The boy sneered at him.

"That's not how it works, Lars!" Steven glanced down at the purple gem peeking out from his low collar. "Right?" He paused for a minute, then whispered, "Right, Mom?" 

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, you can keep the freezer." Sadie offered, thankfully stopping that train of thought.

"Really?" Steven jumped up, yanking the cord out of the wall. "Thanks, Sadie! You're the best!" He shot Lars a glare. "I'm gonna keep this forever!" He broke into a run, shoving the door open as he left.

"Just, uh, be careful with that!" Sadie shouted after him, to no avail.

Lars snickered. "Wonder what he's gonna break this time."

—————————————————————————————————————

Steven burst into his house, ready to share the news with everyone, when what looked like a giant green caterpillar leaped towards him. He screamed, shut his eyes, and thrust his hands out to stop it.

A moment later, when nothing attacked him, he opened them. A very tall woman, with pink hair, stood in front of him, fending the monster off with her shield.

"Oh, nice save, Rose." He said meekly. "I could have totally handled it, though."

"I'm sure you could have," She smiled, "but I don't want you getting hurt."

Around the house, two other women were fighting off more of the monsters.

"Hey, Garnet! Hey Pearl!" He began to run to greet them.

"Steven!" Rose warned. "Stay away from the Centipeedles. They can shoot acid harmful to the human body, as well as other materials."

"Quite right." Pearl agreed. "Best for you to stay out of the house."

"But, my stuff!" Steven continued trying to crawl around Rose, as she kept him in the doorway. "Argh! They're gonna burn my things!"

"We'll protect your home, Steven," Garnet assured him. "You need to keep yourself safe."

Steven grumbled, but walked back out onto the beach, sitting down in the sand.

"They never let me help." He complained, again looking down at his gem. "When am I gonna get to use my powers? I'm not a baby anymore, I can handle it. But all you do is glow, and that was only one time anyway." He sighed, setting his freezer down. "Maybe I don't have really have any more powers. Just like I don't have any more Cookie Cats."

Suddenly a voice called down from the balcony. "Steven! We have a surprise for you." Rose practically sang.

Steven gasped. "Did you get me a present?" He called back up.

"You could say that."

In a blink, he was back up on the porch, bouncing up and down. "Is it something cool from your mission?"

Rose smiled. "Go look in the freezer."

Steven shoved open the screen door, speeding to the freezer. Opening it up, he saw...

"Cookie Cat!? Where did you get these? I thought they stopped making them!" Steven's eyes were starry as he stared at the freezer full of them.

"Well we heard they were your favorite," Pearl explained, "So we went and bought some!"

"We pretty much stole them." Garnet deadpanned.

"Garnet!" Pearl exclaimed. "I went back and paid for them."

"It was my idea." Garnet continued.

Rose laughed. "You're only saying that because y-" She paused, glanced down at Steven, then continued, "Because you like all the credit."

"Wow." Steven uttered, totally oblivious, "I'm gonna eat these all today!"

"What!?" Pearl and Rose cried in unison.

"Steven you know better- "You'll be very sick- "That's a terrible-" They said over each other.

Steven sighed. "Can I have one?"

"Yes, but only one." Rose allowed.

Steven cheered, and burst into the Cookie Cat song.

Ohhhhhh

He's a frozen treat,

With an all-new taste,

'Cause he came to this planet from outer space!

A refugee of an interstellar war,

But now he's at your local grocery store!

Cookie Cat!

He's a pet for your tummy!

Cookie Cat!

He's super duper yummy!

Cookie Cat!

He left his family behind!

Cookie Caaaaaat!

"Now available at Gergins off route 109." Steven finished.

Everyone laughed at his act. Steven smiled, shoving the sandwich into his mouth. "I srue loff gooky gat." He mumbled.

"Steven, please don't talk with your mouth full." Pearl reprimanded.

Steven swallowed. "Sorry Pearl." He apologized, a bit less cheerful. "What now?"

"Garnet and Pearl need to go now, but I'm going to stay here with you," Rose replied. "I don't want you having to wait alone again, but the Matriarch Centipeedle still needs to be found."

"The what?"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about it. We'll be staying here, where you can't get hurt."

"You're not coming, Rose?" Pearl looked disappointed.

"Someone needs to stay with Steven." 

"I could stay," Garnet suggested.

"Yes, but we need you on the mission."

"Why don't you stay, Pearl?"

"I'd, uh, like to go help."

"Well, then, looks like you have to."

"I don't want-"

"You know what?" Steven interrupted. "I'm fine! You all can go. I'll just, go hang out with Dad or something. I won't get in the way with him."

"Uh, Steven?" Pearl reached towards him.

"I'm fine." He repeated.

"We should go." Garnet started towards the warp pad.

"Right. We'll be back soon, Steven." Rose followed her. "Pearl?"

"Right! Off we go!"

He watched them warp away. Without him, like always.

——————————————————————————————————-

Sitting back on the beach, Steven squinted his eyes shut. He concentrated for a moment, searching for a feeling inside him, focusing. He lifted his hand to his gem, and...

Nothing.

He flopped down in the sand. "I don't get it. Why can't I do it like them? I almost had it yesterday!"

———————————————————————————————————

Yesterday:

"With enough dedication and practice, you can master the magical properties of your gem, and perform your own dance!" Pearl exclaimed.

Steven stared up at her as she drew her spear, completing "her dance."

"How am I supposed to be a petal?" He wondered aloud. "I'm a person!"

Pearl groaned. "It's a metaphor, Steven."

He had no more luck with Garnet.

"-channeling the collective powers of the universe through your gem!"

Garnet burst into a short dance, summoning her gauntlets onto her hands.

"Garnet?"

Garnet looked at him.

"I don't get this metaphor." He admitted.

"That wasn't a metaphor."

Rose's explanation, however, stuck a bit better.

"My shield appears when I truly need it." She shut her eyes, looking very much at peace. "When someone needs protecting, when I need protecting, my shield will appear." She manifested a glowing pink shield from her gem.

Steven shut his eyes, imagining the need to summon his weapon.

"It takes practice, Steven. You'll get it someday." Rose continued.

The word Someday stood out to Steven. She was wrong. He would get it now. He had to. He'd show them. He'd-

"Steven! Your gem!" Rose exclaimed.

Steven opened his eyes to see a faint purple glow at the bottom of his vision.

"Yes!" He shouted. "Alright, weapon. Wait, how do I do this? How do I summon it?"

"Calm down, Steven."

Steven did not calm down. The purple glow began to fade, then disappeared entirely.

"Nooooooo!" Steven frowned. "I almost had it! What happened?"

"You just need practice," Rose assured him.

———————————————————————————————————-

So Steven had been practicing. But even the glow still hadn't come back.

Steven sighed. "If only there was some real danger. Then maybe I'd-"

Suddenly there was a loud splash and a roar. Steven jumped to his feet, only to fall back when he saw another centipeedle. A GIANT CENTIPEEDLE!

"Oh no. No nonononono." Steven scooted backward, panicky. "I didn't mean that kind of danger! Why wasn't I more specific?!" He pushed himself up, running at full speed to the house.

"Garnet! Rose! Pearl!" Steven screamed as the Centipeedle slammed itself onto the sand.

Steven facepalmed. "That's right, they're gone! Argh! They went looking for you!" He thrust a finger in the monster's direction. It turned to look at him.

"Wait no, argh! It's ok, you can handle this, Universe. Come on, weapon!" He reached up to his gem, but nothing was there. "Of course not!" He shouted to no one.

Steven turned and began running again to his house. The Centipeedle followed him. "I can't go in there!" He realized. "It's gonna destroy my stuff! And my house, I guess. Argh! I need a weapon!" He swiveled his head around, looking for something, anything.

"Aha!" His Cookie Cat freezer laid under the porch, left there from his previous moping. He ran towards it, ducking as the Centipeedle sprayed towards his head.

Steven grabbed the freezer with one hand, sweeping his hair out of his eye with the other. 

Cookie Cat! He's a pet for your tummy! With an incredible force of will, he smashed the freezer onto the ground. Sparks flew off of the mangled steel.

Cookie Cat! He's super duper yummy! He grabbed the end of the cord.

He swung it above his head. Cookie Cat! He left his family behind!

Then, with the last of his strength, he hurled the freezer at the Centipeedle, with a battle cry of "Cookie Caaaaaat!"

The Centipeedle trembled with electricity, then exploded into smoke. In its place was a single circular gem.

Steven fell to his knees. A moment later, he heard the warp pad activate. "Of course now they're home." He muttered. "They're gonna be so impressed."


	2. Maximum Eyesight

"You're grounded."

"Whaaaaaaat! Garnet!" Steven cried. "It wasn't my fault! The Centipeedle just attacked, and I would've died if I didn't try to fight it!" He shouted.

"You should have contacted us!" Pearl shouted back. "Where's the warp whistle we gave you for situations like these?"

"I lost it! I didn't have a choice! Aren't you proud of me for taking it down?"

Garnet looked down at him sternly. "It was foolish to attack it without any backup. You didn't even know that your freezer trick would work. You need to stop losing things."

"Yes." Rose nodded. "Maybe it's time we go through your toys."

"It's called stuff." He corrected. "And I'm not getting rid of any of it. Besides, I knew the freezer would work. When I broke the freezer in the Big Donut last month-"

"You couldn't know for sure." Rose interrupted. "We have to go on a mission, but we'll be back soon. Maybe I can help you clean up your room."

Steven crossed his arms. "Fine. I'm leaving too."

"Okay." Oblivious, Rose stepped onto the warp pad.

As soon as they warped away, Steven shouted into the air, "Have fun without me!"

———————————————————————————————————————

Steven walked along the boardwalk, headed towards the fry shop. He saw Fryman walk towards it as well, and broke into a run.

"Hey, Fryman!" Steven shouted. The man shut the door as Steven ran up.

"Gimme the bits!" He demanded, slamming his hands onto the counter.

"Sorry Steven," Fryman said, not actually sounding apologetic. "We're closed." He flipped over a sign hanging in the window.

Steven ignored him, banging on the counter again. "The Bits! The Bits!" He chanted. "The Bits! The Bits!"

"Okay, okay." Fryman held up his hands in surrender. "Take it easy on the counter, will ya?"

The man disappeared into the shop. "Yes!" Steven exclaimed.

"I can give you the actual fries if you want." Fryman's voice called back from the shop.

"Just the bits, please!" Steven called back.

Fryman handed him the bag. "Thank you!" Steven smiled politely, as Pearl had taught him. "Sorry about your counter." With that, he turned and ran back to the beach.

Sitting under the porch in his usual hiding spot, Steven ate his fries.

"I wonder if you would have liked these, Mom." He muttered absentmindedly. He glanced down at his gem. "This time of day is great, huh? When the sun goes down, and the second sun gets bigger and bigger in the sky."

Suddenly, he heard a panicked voice. "Steven! Steven, where are you?!"

Steven stood up quickly, spilling his fry bits in the process. "Nooooo, my bits!"

"Steven, is that you?"

"No!" He shouted back, running in the opposite direction.

Rose came around the porch. "Steven, this isn't about your room. We can deal with that later. There's an emergency." Steven turned back reluctantly and followed her to the house.

Pearl and Garnet were standing there, looking very worried. "Steven! Thank goodness!" Pearl exclaimed. "You need to get inside. There's danger."

"On Mask Island?" 

"No, Mask Island is fine. I'm talking about that thing in the sky."

"Oh. It looks like a giant sun."

"That's a Red Eye, Steven," Rose warned.

His eyes went wide. "Oh no! It's going to infect us all!"

"That's pinkeye." Garnet corrected. "This Red Eye will crash into Beach City, killing many innocent humans."

Rose nodded. "You need to stay inside, where it's safe."

"What!? I want to help!" Steven pleaded.

"Steven, you have a fragile organic body. You cannot help." Rose chided. "Leave protecting humanity to us. I have just the thing." She laid a hand on his shoulder, guiding him inside.

After making sure he wasn't going to run off, Rose entered her room in the temple. Steven got a glimpse of pink clouds before the door shut behind her.

Steven flopped down on the couch. A moment later, Rose returned, wheeling a large pink cannon.

"What's that?" Steven asked, eyes starry.

"This is a Laser Light Cannon," Rose explained. "If you'd like, you can watch me use it."

"Yeah!" Steven jumped up, running to the door.

Rose stepped in front of him. "Just be careful, please. Stay close to Garnet and Pearl."

"Okaaaaaaay" He whined.

Rose smiled. "This will be very educational."

"Yeah, and super cool!" He pushed past her, out the door.

————————————————————————————————————————

On the beach, the wind was beginning to pick up.

Steven watched Rose kneel in the sand, positioning the cannon. Garnet and Pearl stood on either side of him, ready to interfere if there were any issues.

Rose stood, one hand still on the cannon. She closed her eyes, raised her head to the sky, and in a confident voice, recited:

"Fight for life on the planet earth,

Defend all human beings, even the ones that you don't understand,

Believe in love that is out of anyone's control,

And then risk everything for it!"

Immediately after she finished speaking, a plume of light erupted from the cannon. It shot upwards, striking the Red Eye, and tearing it apart. 

"Wow," Steven whispered.

Then it exploded.

Chunks of debris smashed into the beach. "Heads up!" Shouted Garnet over the noise.

Steven didn't see anything after that, as Garnet threw herself over Steven, shielding him.

A few moments later, she stood. Steven looked around. In the sand, and across Beach City, were chunks of the Red Eye.

"You're safe, Steven," Garnet assured him.

"Yeah, I know." He said quietly. Then something occurred to him. "We just saved Beach City! Well, most of it, anyway."

Rose walked over to him. "That's right. That Light Cannon is very powerful."

"Rose! That was amazing! What was that?"

She smiled, happy to teach him. "The Cannon is activated by my voice. I have it set to activate when I recite our motto."

His eyes were starry again. "Where did you get a weapon like that?"

"Oh! Um..." Rose was taken aback. "I, uh, don't quite remember. Must have claimed ownership during the war."

At that moment, Pearl cut in. "Er, Steven, that Eye caused a lot of damage. Why don't you go make sure Greg is alright?"

"Uh, ok." Steven frowned slightly. "Are you sure there's nothing I can help with?"

"No, I think that's the most important thing for now."

"But Dad doesn't even live near-"

"Steven, I know you want to help," Garnet interrupted, "But let us deal with this, please."

"Okay, fine." He grumbled, and ran back up the sand.

He ran a few yards before turning back to wave to the gems. Rose was standing tensely, in the same position. Garnet seemed a bit concerned. Pearl smiled widely and waved back.

————————————————————————————————————

Steven knocked on the door to Greg's van. "Dad!"

"Dad! Come on, I'm booooored!" He whined, banging on the door with both hands.

He climbed to the top and began stomping on the roof. "Dad! Wake! Up!" Suddenly, the car alarm went off. Steven froze as his dad shoved open his van door.

"Who's there?! I have a waffle iron!" He shouted, brandishing his improvised weapon.

"Dad! It's me!" Steven called down.

"Steven?" Greg turned, clearly very confused. "What are you doing up so late?"

Steven hopped down. "There was some monster stuff. The gems told me to come and check on you.

"Alright, that's nice of you." His dad sighed. "But you don't gotta jump on my van, Stchu-ball."

"Sorry, Dad."

Greg sat down in his van. "It's alright. Come here."

Steven sat down next to him. "Also, I think Rose is gonna make me clean my room out. And I don't wanna get rid of any of my stuff. I just wanna keep it forever."

Greg chuckled. "Sounds just like me."

"Really?"

"Yep."

Steven sighed. "What do you do?"

"Oh, you know, I've got an extra storage unit. Anything that doesn't fit in the van goes in there."

Steven lit up. "Can you show me?"

———————————————————————————————————

Greg pulled up on a handle, sliding open the door. Inside were piles of boxes, mattresses, and other junk. But to Steven, it looked like magic.

"Whoa." He breathed. "Is this stuff all yours?"

Greg scratched the back of his neck. "Ha, yep. But it's nothing compared to what your mom had."

"Mom had stuff too?" Steven asked.

"Oh yeah. You could fill a neighborhood with all her stuff."

"Awesome!" Steven exclaimed. "Can you show me it sometime?"

"Ah, man, Schtu-ball, I wish I could," Greg explained sadly, "but your mom's room has been locked since... well, since you were born."

"Oh." Steven paused. "Uh, that's okay. We can still explore this place!"

"Good thinking. Go ahead, pick a box to start with."

"Hmm..." Steven walked into the storage unit, looking back and forth. "Aha! Books!"

"Oh, so books are cool now?"

"Yeah, and you've got a bunch!" Steven lifted the box with a grunt, carrying it back out to Greg.

"You can keep most of these," Greg said, pulling one out. "Just save this one 'til you're older."

"Cool! Thanks, Dad!" Steven set the box down, then hurried back in. Greg followed after him.

Steven was weaving through boxes when he heard a crunch under his foot. "Oh no!"

Greg came up behind him. "What happened?"

Steven held up a picture of his parents. His dad had a hotdog in his mouth like a tongue, while his mom had two hotdogs sticking out of her nose. "I broke this." He said sadly.

Greg smiled, resting a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Hey it's okay, it's only the frame. Besides, if every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs."

Steven laughed. "Right, Dad. It's a funny picture, anyway."

"That's right. I'll get a new frame sometime." Something else suddenly caught Greg's attention. "Hey, whaddya know! It's 'Lil Butler!"

"'Lil Butler?"

"Yeah! Oh man, me and your mom used to watch this all the time." Greg laughed. "I can't believe I still have it here! Hey Stchu-ball, you wanna come watch this with me?"

"Sure, Dad!" Steven grinned, but then paused. "Wait, actually I'm grounded." He remembered, his smile dropping.

"Oh, alright." Greg sighed. "You know, I probably shouldn't go down that rabbit hole again, anyway."

Steven yawned. "Hey, Dad? I wanna go to bed."

"Oh, sure thing buddy." Greg set the VHS down. "Do you wanna stay here?"

"No, I think I'll go back to the temple."

"You sure?" Greg asked nervously. "I don't mind you staying with me."

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Steven sighed. "Maybe Rose forgot, anyway."

Greg managed a small smile. "Yeah, maybe."


	3. The Lunar Sea Spire (or Purple Backpack)

Steven laid face down on the couch.

"Shiiing"

Pearl and Garnet warped into the house.

"It looks wonderful in here!" Pearl exclaimed. "I can't believe you got him to organize all of his clutter!"

Steven mumbled something into the cushions. 

"What was that?"

Steven sat up. "I had to get rid of-" The words died on his lips as he took in the sight of Garnet, covered completely with feathers.

"We fought a giant bird." She said simply.

"Cool! Did you get any giant eggs?"

"Steven," Rose warned. "We went over this. You don't need more junk."

"I know. But what about that backpack?"

"The cheeseburger?"

"Yeah! I can use it to help on missions!"

"Steven, you already have a backpack." Rose gestured to a hook by the door, where a purple backpack was hanging. "Now, why don't you go play outside? We have to get going."

"What!? Where?"

Pearl held up a statue. "We have to place this moon goddess statue on the top of the Lunar Sea Spire before midnight. Without it, the whole place will fall apart!"

"Whoa, cool. Can I come?"

"Hmm... actually, maybe," Rose answered.

"Really?"

"It depends. Garnet, any advice?"

Garnet thought for a moment, then answered. "The tower is unstable. There may be danger, but we can protect Steven if necessary."

"Yeah! I'm a gem, too." Steven pulled down the collar of his shirt, revealing the purple gem set there.

Rose sighed, then smiled. "Alright. This will be a wonderful first mission!"

"Yes! Okay, just let me grab some stuff." He pulled the purple backpack down from its hook, then ran up the stairs to his loft. "Let's see... some rope, some food, of course." Steven hurriedly shoved things into his backpack. "Oh, Mr. Queasy! I'm definitely packing you!"

Steven ran back down, onto the warp pad, slinging the backpack over one shoulder. "Alright, I'm ready." He glanced at the statue Pearl was holding. "Hey, I can fit that in my backpack!"

"No, Steven. We wouldn't want it to get lost." Pearl said sternly.

Rose nodded. "Pearl is right. She can keep it safe in her gem."

To demonstrate, Pearl's gem lit, and the statue was enveloped by the light, then sucked inside.

"See, Steven? Anyway, let's get going. We have to reach the top before midnight. Garnet?"

Garet nodded. A wall of blue light came up around them. 

The floor disappeared, and Steven began to drift up.

"Whoo Hoo!" He shouted, throwing his arms up. "I'm floating!" He flipped around in the air, cheering again.

"Steven, get down here, please!" Pearl exclaimed. "That's dangerous!"

"What? No, it's not-" Steven was cut off as the light disappeared, dropping him to the ground. Rose picked him back up, then set him much more gently onto his feet.

"Steven!" Pearl exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

Steven rubbed his head. "Yeah, I'm fine." Glancing up, his eyes widened. "Whoa, the Sea Spire!"

They stepped off the warp pad. Pearl was looking upwards, grimacing.

"It wasn't like this a hundred years ago." She said quietly.

Garnet adjusted her visor. "I'm sensing structural instability." Calmly, she grabbed Steven, redirecting him. He barely noticed.

"Oh, yeah, that's never good." He remarked.

"That's right, Steven." Pearl smiled proudly.

Rose nodded. "We should be careful."

They walked up to the end of a rocky outcropping hanging near the entrance. Garnet held up a hand. "Careful."

"What's the holdup?" Steven fidgeted, peering down to the water below. "Don't you guys have, like super jump powers?"

Garnet frowned. "The magic that sustains the whirlpool creates a vortex that will pull us below." She lifted a boulder, tossing it over the edge to demonstrate. It was promptly sucked down.

"So we can't jump?" Pearl asked.

Steven gasped. "I've got just the thing!" He took off his backpack, pulling out a length of rope. "Watch this!" He threw it out, wrapping it around an opening in the building. Then, before any of them could react, he pushed off, propelling himself away from the gems, towards an opening in the building.

"Steven, wait!" Rose shouted, too late, as he swung against the building.

"He's getting sucked down!" Pearl cried.

"I got this!" Steven pulled on the rope and began to run up the building, as the others could only watch in shock. Grunting, he pushed up and into the temple, throwing his hands into the air as he landed. He grinned and turned around to face the gems.

Garnet seemed almost impressed. Pearl was still shaking slightly, eyes wide. Rose stared in shock.

"Steven! Oh, my stars! WHAT WAS THAT?!" She suddenly shouted.

"I-"

"YOU COULD HAVE DIED! You aren't like us, Steven!" She began to pace, still yelling. In fact, she appeared to be floating a few inches off the ground.

"Are... are you mad at me?"

"What?! Mad?" She grinned. "That was amazing, Steven! And incredibly risky, considering your human form."

Pearl cleared her throat. "Um, that was pretty dangerous." She mumbled. "We don't exactly have a way to get across anymore."

Rose stopped pacing, and landed back on the ground, looking over at Pearl. "I'm sure he knew what he was doing."

"I didn't, really," Steven admitted.

"Oh." Rose paused. "Well, it's alright. You might have just regenerated."

Before he could respond, she was talking to Pearl again. "You have some rope in your gem, right?" She asked.

"R-right!" Pearl drew another length of rope from her gem, similar to Steven's.

"Thank you, Pearl." Rose held the rope in one hand, tossing it over to wrap around the opening, next to Steven's own rope. With the other arm, she grabbed both Pearl and Garnet. 

She swung across, more smoothly than Steven had, but with the same general path.

"Great job, Steven." She smiled again, setting Pearl and Garnet onto the ground. "I knew it was a good idea to bring you on this mission."

"Thanks!"

"You probably should have consulted with us first..." Pearl said quietly, "But that was pretty great."

Garnet gave a thumbs up.

———————————————————————————————————-

The rest of the mission went well.

Pearl devised a plan to get past a swarm of crystal shrimp. Steven ignored it, pulling out a bagel sandwich instead.

However, when they were faced with a roaring river, Steven didn't have a plan.

"I knew I should've brought that raft!" He grumbled. "This backpack is too small."

Instead, Garnet broke a column, laying it across the water.

They climbed up a few more flights of stairs, then finally, they reached the top. A column stood in the middle of a large clearing.

Pearl grinned, retrieving the statue from her gem. "We're just in time! I can't believe we'll finally be able to restore this piece of history!" She carefully carried it to the column and placed it there.

Steven and the gems waited impatiently as the moon climbed above. Right as it reached the center of the sky, the column lit up. A pillar of light stretched from the moon to the statue.

Near them, a piece of the spire began to form, sliding back into its place.

Pearl's eyes lit up. "It's working! It's actually working!" She grabbed Rose's arm, exclaiming, "Can you believe it?"

"Yes, it really is-"

Suddenly, she was interrupted by the sound of something large crumbling. A chunk of debris fell, splashing into the ocean below.

Steven watched it fall. Turning his eyes back to the pillar, he noticed the statue flickering in the air. "Uh, guys?"

"Shh, Steven. Pay attention." Rose chided. "This is your heritage."

"But, I think something's wrong!"

"Steven, please. This is very important."

Another chunk of the spire crumbled, falling down to join the first. The statue flickered more violently.

"Argh!"

"Steven, what is the matter with you?" Pearl exclaimed.

"It isn't working!"

Finally, that seemed to get their attention, at least for a moment.

"What?"

"The statue thing is acting weird!"

Pearl's eyes widened. "What's wrong with it?"

"The spire is too far damaged," Garnet said, voice rising with urgency. "It's going to collapse on us!"

"Gems, grab the statue!" Rose shouted, lifting Steven off the ground.

Pearl began running to it, but then the floor split under her, sucking her down.

"Pearl!" Steven cried. On the other side of him, Garnet was struggling in a similar situation. 

Rose leaped over to her, then to Pearl, grabbing them both along with Steven. She leaped into the air, floating back down towards the warp pad.

"We have to abandon the spire." She said decisively, landing on the smooth surface. The last thing Steven saw as they warped away was the spire beginning to fall.

——————————————————————————————————-—————

Once they were in the house, Rose finally set everyone down.

"W-what happened?" Pearl stammered.

Rose shook her head sadly. "The spire was ancient, damaged from the years. The statue couldn't save it."

"Oh."

No one said anything for a while. Steven plopped back down on the couch.

Rose sat down beside him. "You know what? Maybe it's best we put the past behind us."

He looked up. "What do you mean?"

"That spire was built while Earth was being colonized. While it was a wonderful piece of history, there are more important things. More important memories."

"Like my first mission?"

"Exactly!" She beamed. "You did an exceptional job, and you handled yourself very maturely."

"Really?" Steven lit up. "Does that mean I can go on more missions?"

"Of course."

"Er, only the safe ones," Pearl cut in, "Right Rose? We wouldn't want Steven getting hurt."

"What? No, he'll be fine. We'll be there to protect him, after all."

"Oh, um, okay." She said meekly.

"Yeah! I'm gonna go tell everyone!" Steven jumped up from the couch. "Wow, once I get my powers, I'll be a real Crystal Gem!"

Garnet came over, ruffling Steven's hair. "You already are."

"Really?!" His eyes lit up. "This is so exciting! I'm gonna go get donuts to celebrate!"

"Okay, but only a few." Rose laughed. "You still have a human body, after all."

"Woo hoo! Sadie and Lars are gonna be so impressed." Steven ran out the door, nearly shoving it off its hinges.

Pearl sighed. "We're going to have to replace that door soon, aren't we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I made a blog! Check it out at: https://writingdrawingandothercrap.blogspot.com/


	4. Nicknames (short)

(See also: what happened to Together Breakfast and Frybo.)

Steven opened the front window, peering out at the sunrise.

"Everyone's out." He remarked to himself. "Guess I'm making my own breakfast."

He opened up all the kitchen cupboards, grabbing armfuls of junk food.

"Let's see here, we got waffles, whip cream, syrup, macaroni cheese, cooking oil?" He peered into the bottle of thick yellow liquid, raising an eyebrow. "I'll take my chances."

Steven stacked the waffles onto a plate, then dumped everything else on top. Finally, he pulled a single strawberry out of the fridge, and placed it on top.

"Perfect!" He exclaimed, and shoved his face into his meal. Just then, the warp pad activated, depositing Rose into the house.

"Oh, great, you made yourself breakfast." Rose smiled in her usual way. "Good to see you taking care of your human form!"

Steven looked up, wiping food from his eyes. "Hey Pink."

Rose's smile faltered for a minute. "What was that?"

"Oh, a nickname. 'Cause you're so pink."

"Hmm, I see. Just Rose is fine."

"Okay, cool I guess." He grabbed another handful of waffle, uninterested.

Pearl came out of the temple a moment later, carrying a bubble full of shards. "Rose, did you happen to see a shard anywhere? There's one missing."

"No..." She thought for a moment. "Oh! Check Steven's laundry. The shard may have been searching for fabric to inhabit."

Pearl went over to the couch, rifling through a pile of shirts and jeans. "Aha!" She exclaimed, pulling out... "A rock?"

"Oops, Sorry, P." Steven mumbled through a mouthful. "I musta left that in a pocket."

"Don't worry about it, Steven." She said but then froze. "Wait, what did you call me?"

He swallowed. "Uh... P. It's the first letter of your name. Is that alright?"

"Y-Yes, yes, fine." She stuttered out, turning back towards the clothes. "I'm just, um, concerned about your grammar skills... Here we go!" She held up the missing shard.

Steven fidgeted. "Ya know what? I'm gonna go take this outside." He stood up, grabbing his plate.

"Alright, have fun." Rose said absentmindedly, then turned to Pearl. "It's a good thing you found that. Who knows what sort of-"

Their voices faded as Steven walked away from the house. He sat in the sand underneath the porch, eating his breakfast more slowly.

"They're being weird." He said softly. "I don't get it."

"They're just nicknames."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I’m really happy that so many people like this story. I’ll probably have the next chapter out by tomorrow.
> 
> Have a great flippin’ day!


	5. Tropical Punch Your Face

Steven laid on a lawn chair upside down, watching his dad work. Greg was cleaning what could've been an ice cream truck if it wasn't for the large head sitting on top.

"Daaaad," Steven whined. "Are you almost done? I wanna hang out."

"Sorry, bud," Greg said, kneeling down to polish the hubcaps. "You know, this would go a lot faster if you gave me a hand."

"Ugh, fine." He walked over, grabbing a hose off the ground, and immediately sprayed it into his dad's face.

"Argh! Betrayed by my own kin!" He grabbed the second hose, turning it on Steven.

"Daaaad!" Steven shouted between laughs.

"Hey, hey, hey!" A man in a suit came running over, annoyed. "I'm not paying for father-son bonding!"

"Sorry Mayor Dewey." Greg apologized. Steven, however, smirked and directed the stream of water into the man's face.

"Universe!" He exclaimed, wiping water out of his eyes. "Control that kid!"

"Steven!" Greg sighed. "I'm sorry about all this. This one's on the house.

"Hmm..." Mayor Dewey rested a hand on his chin. "I like the way you do business!" He climbed into the Mayor-Mobile and rolled away slowly.

Steven began laughing again. "Didja see the look on his face?"

"You rascal!" Greg grabbed Steven, laughing as well.

"Steven!" A voice called from their right. The two of them turned to see Rose, having just floated down. "Hello, Mr. Universe." She said with a smile.

The boy scrambled out of his dad's hold. "Hey, Rose! What are ya doing here?"

"We have a very urgent mission today." Her smile faded slightly. "We're taking the Gem Sloop to go and fight a living island."

"Oh, uh, have fun I guess." He replied uncertainly.

"You're coming too."

"What?!" His eyebrows shot up. "Since when do you let me go on missions?"

"Well, you certainly proved yourself to be a resourceful gem on our first mission. Why wouldn't we let you go on more?"

"Whoa, wait a minute." Greg cut in. "You let him go on a mission?! Isn't that dangerous?"

Rose smiled another one of her signature smiles. "There is no need to worry, Mr. Universe. We'll protect Steven, and his human body. Now, Steven, we should get going."

"Wait, right now?" Steven glanced back at Greg. "I was gonna hang with Dad today."

"Your dad will be fine on his own. Hold on." Rose lifted Steven and jumped into the air.

"What, wa- Aaaaaah! Whooo hoo!" Steven's worries were lost as they soared up.

Greg sighed deeply and sat down in the now unoccupied lawn chair.

————————————————————————————————————-

Steven and Rose walked down the beach towards the docks by the temple.

"So, what are we gonna do?" The boy asked excitedly.

Rose smiled back. "Garnet and Pearl are already waiting for us. It's half an hour to the Island, but it'll take much longer to bring it down."

As they walked up the dock, Steven got a good look at the Gem Sloop. It was a dark blue boat, with a lighter blue sail patterned like a gemstone.

It was also tiny.

Pearl and Garnet were standing in it, and already taking up half the room. As they walked up, Pearl handed Steven his purple backpack.

"I filled it with the proper food and water rations, as well as entertainment for you." She explained. "You may be waiting a while during the trip, a well as the battle."

"Oh, nice!" He exclaimed.

"Steven," Garnet spoke up. "It's time for an adventure."

Rose chuckled as Steven lit up again. "Let's head out, then! After you." She told him.

Steven scrambled into the boat, sitting between Garnet and Pearl on one side. Rose sat on the other side.

"Away we go, mateys!" Steven shouted in a goofy voice, and they set sail.

But it was only a few minutes before he began to fidget. "There's not a lotta room in here."

"Well, the Sloop was meant for fewer gems," Pearl said uncertainly.

"Oh. Why'd we all come?" He asked.

"We will all be needed," Garnet answered firmly. "Rose and Pearl can take it down, and I will stay in the Sloop with Steven, to keep him safe."

Rose smiled. "Thank you, Garnet."

Steven frowned instead. "Wouldn't it have been easier to leave me home?"

Rose shook her head. "It's important for you to be watching us in battle. It will teach you how to handle yourself on missions." She set a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be an amazing fighter when you're older."

"Yeah, I will!" He grinned. "Anyway, are we here yet?"

"28 more minutes."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steven hung upside down from the edge of the boat, feet almost brushing the water.

Suddenly, Pearl gasped. "Is... that it?"

Steven sat up fast, rocking the boat slightly. "Whoa." He breathed.

Sitting in the middle of the ocean, about 500 feet ahead, was a small island. With a face, and feet.

"That's freaky." He said.

"It's dangerous," Rose added. "When the Island moves, it sends huge waves in that direction. So far they haven't reached land, but it's a hazard to any boats that come this way."

"But you guys are gonna beat it up, right?" He asked.

Pearl nodded. "You'll stay here in the Sloop, while we go to the right and attack from over there. That way, the waves won't hit you."

"Yeah!" Steven began to smirk. "If they did, I would really be in _deep water_.

Pearl laughed meekly, while Garnet was silent. Rose, however, broke into a huge grin.

"Oh! I get it!" She exclaimed. "We're in the ocean, and it's like the human expression! Well, Steven, we're _shore_ that you won't get hurt."

"Ayyyy!" He laughed.

Pearl groaned. "We should get going."

"Oh come on, Pearl!" Steven stifled another giggle. "Don't be salty!"

Pearl and Garnet exchanged a look.

Rose sighed. "Sorry Steven," She paused, then grinned again. "but it really is time to _wave goodbye_."

Steven had to sit down, as he was laughing so hard.

With that last pun, two of the three gems jumped into the air. They splashed into the water to the right of the Island, catching its attention quickly. The monster turned to face them, sending waves just past the Sloop.

“Whooooa!” Steven cried as the boat bobbed on the wave, sending him wobbling. He looked back up to see Pearl and Rose draw their weapons, jumping towards the Island again. They flew towards its front legs, prepared to strike.

“That’s not going to work,” Garnet remarked.

It didn’t work. As they neared the monster, it lifted it’s leg, sending them flying back again.

“Garnet!” Steven shouted over the waves it created. “Why didn’t you tell them?!”

“We’re too far. They wouldn’t have heard.”

“We could have tried!”

“They’re fine.” She assured him.

As she said this, Pearl and Rose appeared again. Together, they swam with superhuman speed back towards the enemy.

“Ugh!” Steven balled his hands into fists. “They need to split up if they’re ever gonna get it!”

Garnet shook her head. “They need to come together.”

They stopped swimming, almost as if they had heard her, and began to dance.

Steven narrowed his eyes. “What the crap?”

“Language, Steven.” Garnet reprimanded.

“But what are they doing?” He asked, as Rose dipped Pearl in her arms. “They need to fight!”

Suddenly, they both began to glow, and where two had been before, there was only one.

Steven screamed.

The unfamiliar woman drew a shimmering rainbow umbrella seemingly out of thin air, blocking all the waves flying her way. Then the umbrella folded down, into a long, sharp weapon. The huge woman only needed to take a few steps, and drove it right into the monster’s body, leaving nothing behind but a brown, circular gemstone.

“Gaaaarnet!” Steven shrieked. “What’s going on?! Who is she?!

Garnet looked down at the boy, wearing a small smile. “That’s fusion.”

—————————————————————————————————————-

“So let me get this straight,” Steven began. The giant woman floated in the water in front of the Gem Sloop, as he paced back and forth in it.

“There’s this thing called fusion. Rose and Pearl did fusion.”

“They fused, yes.” The woman corrected.

Steven continued, “And you’re their fusion. That would make you... Rosearl? Pearose?”

“Rainbow Quartz, actually.”

“So there’s an amazing giant rainbow woman.” Rainbow Quartz blushed as he said this. “That you guys can make whenever you want to?”

“Well, fusion is mainly used for, er, special occasions.”

“Whatever.” He frowned. “I can’t believe you never told me about you! Are there other fusions?”

“Well, yes. There’s-“

“What?!” Steven shook his head. “What other amazing things have you been hiding?”

“We, er, just wanted to wait until you were ready to meet me.” She said uncertainly.

“Hmm.” He hid a smirk. “I just _fish_ you had told me sooner!”

And that was enough of the ocean for that day. And apparently, enough of Rainbow Quartz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! While I'm taking forever to get chapter 7 out, I thought I'd do a quick sketch.
> 
> I wanted to show what the layout of the Gem Sloop was, but I didn't have time to draw them all in it.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Sonic Boulders

"Whooo Hooo!" Steven shouted, rolling into the sand. He quickly jumped off the bike, and pushed it back up the porch steps, and began to ride down again. But this time, as the front wheel hit the bottom step, the ground rumbled. Steven was tossed over his handles, and off into the sand.

"Ugh." He grumbled, pushing himself up. "What gives?"

Just as he sat up, the gems came around the corner, speaking in worried voices.

"I don't think they're earthquakes, they're too frequent!" Pearl argued, before noticing the boy sitting in the sand. "Oh, Steven! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Chill out." He stood up all the way. "Just goin' for a ride."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "In the sand?"

"Yes, geez." Steven climbed back onto his bike and rode away. 

Very slowly.

"Are you sure t-" Rose began.

"I got this!"

The gems exchanged glances, before walking up into the house.

Steven had gone around three feet when he realized it was a terrible idea.

"Argh! How... am I... supposed... to...." He said, still struggling in the sand. "Argh!"

He glanced around. The gems had gone inside. Steven climbed off and began to wheel his bike. He didn't want the gems to think he had just given up.

Around the cliff bend, there was a girl sitting and reading.

"Huh." Steven set his bike down, out of sight. It was her.

"Hey! Whatcha doing?" He called out to her. She didn't answer.

"Hello?" He tried again. "You deaf or something?" He grabbed a rock off the ground, prepared to throw it at her. "Wait, no." He stopped himself, finding a small shell instead.

The shell bounced off the back of her head. The girl suddenly jumped up, slamming her book shut. "Hey!" She shouted. "Did you throw that?"

"Oh, sorry, did that hurt?" Steven laughed awkwardly. "Guess I don't know my own strength."

"It didn't hurt. I was just, uh, surprised." She looked down at her feet, then back up at the boy. "Why did you throw that, anyway?"

"Just tryin' to get your attention. Oh, I've got somethin' of yours."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Just lemme go get it!" Steven turned and ran back to the beach house. When he got inside, the gems all immediately pulled away from the window.

He narrowed his eyes at them. "Were you watching me?!"

Pearl blushed blue. "Oh! Steven! We uh-"

"Yes," Garnet answered.

Rose smiled. "Who was that human you were talking to?"

"Ugh, guys! She was just some girl!" Steven opened the freezer door, taking out a glowing pink bracelet. "I gotta get back. Can you please stop staring?"

"Awww." Rose cooed. "It's nice to see you meeting humans. Have fun!"

Steven rolled his eyes, running back out the door.

He jogged back over to the girl. She was sitting in the sand again. Steven was thrown off balance when the ground suddenly rumbled beneath his feet again.

As he began walking again, he heard a crack from above. He looked up in confusion as a piece of the cliff wobbled, wobbled, and broke.

Right above the girl.

Steven broke into a sprint. He had to get there. Had to run.

"Watch out!" He screamed, but it was too late.

Too late. Too late.

Everything was a blur as the rock hit, smashed onto the sand. Steven fell, shutting his eyes tight. 

Too late, too late, too late.

——————————————————————————————-

"Steven!"

"Steven, wake up!"

"Come on, Steven!"

Steven opened his eyes slowly. The gems were all standing over him with worried expressions.

"Ugh, what happened?" He mumbled, trying to sit up. "Wait!" He exclaimed suddenly. "Where's that girl?!"

"I'm here." She said quietly, standing a few paces back. "It's kind of complicated. But you saved my life!" Her eyes were full of awe.

"He did?" Pearl asked.

"I did?" Steven asked similarly.

"Yeah!" She came over and sat beside him on the sand. "There was this huge rock falling, and I didn't even notice, but you did, and you got really blurry and fast and smashed into me."

The gems gasped. "Steven," Rose said softly. "That was one of your mother's powers."

The boy's eyes went wide. "Wait, Mom had a SPIN DASH?!"

"A what?"

"AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?!"

Rose sighed. "We didn't want you to be discouraged if you weren't able to do it."

The girl stared at them as they talked. "What's..."

"Oh, right." Steven interrupted. "I'm magic. Well, half magic, anyway. The gems are magical aliens, and so was my mom. I was born here, though."

"Oh. Okay." She chewed on her lip. "You're Steven, right?"

"The one and only. What's your name?"

"Connie." The ground rumbled again beneath their feet.

Rose smiled. "Would you like to come inside, Connie? There may be a big scary monster here soon, and we wouldn't want you getting hurt."

"I don't know..." She said uneasily. "My parents say not to go into someone's house if I don't really know them."

"The house is the safest place for now," Rose replied. "I'll personally explain everything once they arrive for you."

Connie sighed "Alright."

"Sounds good!" Steven pushed himself to his feet, wobbling only slightly. "Come on, Connie, I'll show you my room!"

Rose put a hand on his shoulder. "You're staying out here to help."

"What?" Steven asked.

"What?!" Connie exclaimed. "Steven was passed out! He needs to rest."

"Steven, you're needed in the battle," Garnet explained.

The girl tensed up. "My mother's a doctor. I can take care of him."

"It's alright," Rose reassured the human. "We can protect him."

"Ugh!" Steven shouted. "Can I just go show my friend the house?! If she says she knows stuff, then she probably does! I'm still dizzy, and you don't need me that much anyway!"

He grabbed Connie's arm and walked back up the beach.

"What was that all about?" Pearl asked as they strode away.

Rose looked conflicted. "I think... he wants to protect the human."

"You should be proud," Garnet added.

————————————————————————————————————

They sat on the couch.

"Sorry 'bout that." Steven offered.

Connie brought her legs to her chest. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at your... friend like that. I just don't like being talked down to, you know?"

Steven nodded. "Rose kinda does that a lot. I don't think she means to, though. It was actually pretty awesome what ya did."

"I'm not awesome." She sighed. "You are, though. You used magic, and saved my life!"

"Psshh." He waved a hand. "The gems do way cooler stuff all the time. They fight monsters and protect humanity! I don't know if I'll ever be able to do that."

Connie didn't know what to say to that.

He continued, "The one power I do have makes me pass out! What good is that?"

"Well," She said carefully, "Maybe you have other powers and you just don't know."

The boy's eyes lit up. "You're right!"

"I am?"

"Yeah! The gems keep lots of secrets from me." He seemed untroubled by this statement. "I just need to annoy them until they tell me!"

Connie raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that will work?"

"Yep! I guess I gotta wait 'til later, though." He added as a loud smash shook the floor.

"Okay..." She glanced around the room for something else to say. "Wait... why did you ever talk to me, anyway?"

"Oh!" Steven exclaimed, reaching into his back pocket. "Your bracelet." He pulled it out, dripping a pink, glowing liquid. His smile faded. "Ugh, it broke."

"That's alright." The girl chewed on her lip again. "When did I lose that?"

"At the boardwalk parade last year. You dropped it, and I haven't seen you since then."

"Oh! You were on the car wash float." She laughed. "You had soap bubbles in your hair!"

"Yeah, I was supposed to be a scrub brush." The boy frowned.

Connie paused for a moment. "The bracelet isn't that important." She said, finally. "It only broke because you were able to save me. I don't care that you couldn't save the bracelet."

"You don't?"

"Of course not! You were amazing out there!" She shook her head. "Honestly, you're pulling a classic book one Lisa."

Steven gave her a quizzical look. "Who's Lisa?"

She gasped. "You've never read the Unfamiliar Familiar?!"

"No... what's it about?"

She sat up, raising her voice. "It's this amazing book about a girl named Lisa. You see, she's a witch, and she can do all sorts of amazing magic, but she doesn't know that yet."

"You think she's like me?"

Connie nodded excitedly. "And later on, she unlocks this power, right when her dad is about to-" She suddenly slapped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry, that's a huge spoiler. You should really read the books. I can lend them to you sometime."

Steven grinned. "Sure! Maybe sometime you could come over again and help me get started?"

She smiled back. "I think that'd be nice."


	7. Treasure Hunters- Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh, sorry for the delay. This chapter is really long, compared to the chapters before, so I split it in half.

Steven had been practicing his spin dash with little success. He blacked out the first time he did it, and all the other times.

That wasn't the big problem, though. The most recent time, he had just been trying to run across the beach, when suddenly he woke to Pearl standing over him.

He groaned. "Ugh, did I do it again?"

Pearl sighed. "Steven, you should really be more careful. You could seriously injure yourself."

"I didn't do it on purpose!" He sat up, frowning. "I bet Mom could do this just fine." He said quietly.

Pearl gave him a look. "Gems don't naturally experience dizziness. Didn't I teach you this?"

Steven scoffed. "Yeah, but I get dizzy all the time! Are you saying I'm 'unnatural', then?"

"Of course not, I-" She paused. "It's... time to come inside, Steven."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever."

Steven followed Pearl into the house, where the others already seemed to be planning.

"The mission might be too dangerous," Garnet warned.

Rose shook her head. "I'm sure we can handle it."

"For Steven, that is." She amended.

"What? You said it yourself, it will be just in and out. Besides, you'll be there to protect- Oh!" Rose noticed them walk in. "Hello, Steven."

"Hey." He flopped down unto the couch. "Whatcha talking about?"

Garnet and Rose exchanged a glance for a moment. The former sighed.

"Steven," She said, "We have two very important missions today."

"Two? Jeez."

Garnet nodded, and continued, "Pearl and Rose can handle one of them, but if you'd like, you and I can take the other."

Steven gasped. "Like, a real mission? With real monsters and fighting and stuff?"

"It's just a retrieval mission," Pearl said nervously. "There won't be any danger."

He ignored her. "Yeah, I wanna come! Just lemme go pack!"

Garnet reached over to a pile that was near her. "You're going to need this."

"My ukelele?"

She nodded. "Someone has to keep up the spirit."

He grinned. "Alright then, guess I'm ready! I'll see you guys later!" He waved to Pearl and Rose, stepping up onto the Warp Pad.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steven drifted upwards in the Warp Stream.

"Be careful, Steven," Garnet warned him.

"Okay, okay. I'll be careful... doing this awesome backflip!" He spun around, floating higher above Garnet's head.

She grabbed his leg before he could get any further. "When gravity reasserts itself, you're going to want to be right-side-up."

The boy frowned. "Sorry."

"It's alright." She said with a smile. "You just need practice."

The blue light faded from around them, revealing a field stretching for miles. Every foot was covered with wild strawberries, and weapons larger than any human could carry.

Steven took in the sight. "This is awesome! One of my favorite foods, and one of my other favorite things!"

"Weapons."

"Yeah!" Steven ran over to an ax, twenty times taller than him. "Like, who even used this thing? Ah man, I can't wait until I can summon my whip!" He looked over at Garnet, whose smile had faded. "Uh, you alright?"

"Yes. Let's get going." She said blankly.

"Okay... Can I grab some strawberries?" He asked cautiously. 

"Grab them on the way out." She began walking across the field.

Steven scampered to catch up. "What happened here?"

Garnet sighed. "This was a Gem battlefield."

"Well yeah, that's kinda obvious. Who fought here, though?"

"We all did. It was one of the many battles for Earth."

"Whoa, sick!" The boy exclaimed. "I wish I coulda saw that!"

"No, you don't." She said sternly. "Countless Gems were broken here. It was a maelstrom of destruction and death." She looked back at him, but barely. "I don't want you to ever have to see that."

"Garnet?" Steven said timidly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She didn't answer him. "We're here."

Looming over them was a brown structure, like a pyramid, but one thing set it apart. It was upside down. Garnet inserted a smaller pyramid into a hole.

"Where'd you get that?" Steven asked her.

"Magic." She replied, which wasn't really an answer at all. But before Steven could say anything else, the ground began to rumble. A door slid open, revealing the pyramid's interior.

The boy followed Garnet inside. Just barely lit by the sun, the walls of the pyramid were covered with murals.

"Whoa." Steven's voice echoed in the mostly empty room. He shouted, "Steven's the best!"

"Steven's the best!" Echoed back to him.

"Nice." He laughed. "Hey Garnet, check it out!" The gem had stepped into the center of the room.

"Come here." She told him.

The boy walked over. "What's up?"

"The echo is better from here."

"Huh." Steven took a deep breath in. "BUTTS!" He cried out.

"BUTTS!" Echoed again.

Steven cracked up. "Garnet, Garnet!" He exclaimed between giggles. "You try!"

Garnet smiled. "Garnet is awesome!"

"Garnet is awesome!" Repeated the room.

Steven snickered. "Pshh, I didn't think you'd actually do it!"

"I wasn't going to waste that opportunity." She explained. "Now, let's get going."

"Going where?" Steven looked around the room. His eyes landed on a short column in the middle of the room, housing a small floating triangle. "Oh, I get it!" He went to lay a hand on it.

"Wait, Steven." Garnet cut in. "Let's think this through."

Steven stooped. "Uh, okay I guess." Turning around to face her, he slightly bumped the artifact. "What should we do-" He was cut off as the pyramid began to rumble again. "Argh!"

"Steven!" Garnet exclaimed, running over to him, just as they were sucked upwards.

"It was an accident!" He cried.

She sighed, grabbing him in one arm. They began to fall upwards, as both Gem and Half-Gem screamed.

Garnet landed on her legs and arm, still holding Steven with the other.

"Ugh, what happened?" The boy groaned. "Uh, Garnet? Can you put me down?"

She set him down, looking upwards. Steven followed her gaze, just in time to see the entrance close off.

"Crap."

"Language, Steven," Garnet warned. 

"Sorry." He mumbled. "About everything."

She shook her head. "We needed to move forward. You just found a faster way."

Steven glanced around the new room. It was a perfect circle, and they were surrounded by torches and triangular doors, both on the wall. "Do ya think one of these doors leads us to the thing? The... Gem?"

"Most likely. We'll have to take one at a time."

"Wouldn't it be faster to split up?" He asked.

"Maybe. But it will be safer this way." Noticing his downfallen expression, she added, "And more fun."

"Okay, fiiiiine." He whined. "Which one first?"

"You choose."

"Okay, uh..." Steven shut his eyes, spinning in a circle. "This one!" He exclaimed, opening them.

"Let's go. Stay behind me."

He nodded and followed her down the hallway. 

As they walked, Garnet began to hum.

"Hey!" Steven exclaimed. "That's my song!" He pulled off his ukelele. "If you're evil and you're on the rise-" He paused. "Nah, we're not fighting any monsters. Uh... If you're a super scary magic dungeon-"

He was interrupted by a dull "chink", like something sliding into place.

"Huh?" He glanced back in time to see the door, having shut behind them. The floor lit up, playing a small melody.

The two of them looked to their feet, both pairs standing on a square of light.

"We need to stay on the glowing tiles," Garnet told him.

"Got it!" He jumped onto a tile in front of him, then to the next. In no time, he was at the door.

"Are you coming, Garnet- whoa!" He exclaimed as the ground shook. He wobbled on his feet, then fell directly onto another tile, devoid of glow. "Oh, crap."

"Steven!"

He scrambled back onto the glowing tile, just as the ground behind Garnet began to fall away, revealing leaping flames. She leaped across, pushing off the squares left hanging safely in the air.

"Got you!" She exclaimed, pushing them both through the doorway, which shut behind them.

Steven lay on the floor, panting. "Jeez." He began to laugh. "That was freaky!" He looked up at Garnet for affirmation.

She frowned. "Steven, listen."

His smile faded. "What's up?"

"I would really appreciate it if you would take this a bit more seriously."

"What? I thought we were having fun!" He exclaimed.

"It's okay to have fun, but I don't want you getting hurt."

Steven was going to complain again, but he stopped. She looked.. worried, which was saying something for Garnet. She was never very easy to read. "I guess I can do that." He said at last.

"Let's move on, then." As the boy began to stand, she added. "Watch your language."

"Okay, okay." He began to walk forward but wavered slightly. "Ugh. I'm gettin' kinda dizzy."

"We can stop if you're not feeling well."

"I'll be fine. So, what're we doing here?"

"There may be a switch somewhere to open the door."

Steven gasped. "Like an action movie? I bet one of these bricks is a magic button!"

"Hmm..." Garnet ran a hand against the left wall, Steven taking the right.

"So, Garnet..." He began. "If I can't say 'crap'-"

"Language."

"-can you teach me some Gem curse words?"

"Absolutely not."

Just then, the section of wall Steven was touching sunk in. "Ha! I was right!" He exclaimed.

"Steven!"

"Huh?" Steven glanced up as something above him slid out of place.

There were spikes.

Garnet dashed past them in an instant. Steven began to walk briskly after her.

"Run!" She shouted.

"I can't! If I do, I'll do my spinny thing, and I'll get dizzy, and blackout, and then I'll just-" He narrowly avoided the spikes, still ranting. "Argh, but I'm dizzy anyway!" He finally shouted, breaking into a sprint.


	8. Treasure Hunters- Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for the most boring chapter yet. I'm regretting like 90% of my life choices right now.

Steven opened his eyes slowly to see Garnet looming over him as he laid in her arms.

"Ugh, what happened?"

She looked down at him. "I carried you while you took a nap."

"A nap?!" He exclaimed, scrambling down out of her arms. "I didn't just-"

He paused, looking at the scene behind her. There were individual platforms floating in the air, each one with either spikes or lava hitting the surface repeatedly. "Uh, are we gonna have to go through that?"

Garnet shook her head. "We already did. You were still asleep, so I thought it would be safer."

Steven shrugged. "I was like, blacked out, but whatever. What's next?" He walked through the doorway, only to see the chamber they had originally fallen into.

"We're back where we started," Garnet said simply.

Steven sighed. "Guess we took the wrong way."

"Pick another hall, Steven."

He looked at Garnet pleadingly. "Can't we split up now? It'd go faster..."

The gem paused for a moment. "I know you want to get this over with," She began, "But it would be much easier for both of us if we stuck together. I don't want you getting hurt."

Steven bit his lip. "Okay. Why don't we try that hall?" He pointed to a hallway on the opposite wall from them.

Garnet smiled. "Good choice."

They began to walk again. After a moment, Steven spoke up. "Hey, ya know how you guys do, like, a bunch of awesome stuff?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Yeah, how much of the awesome can I do? Wait." He thought for a moment. "What I mean is, what powers do you guys have that I have too?"

"That is... a loaded question. To start, there's fusion, of course. You saw Rainbow Quartz."

"Wait, wait, wait," Steven said, waving his hands. "I can fuse?"

"Most likely. You are a gem, after all."

"But, like, I'm half human too. That seems kinda, like... weird, I guess."

She nodded. "We don't know anything for sure. There's never been anyone like you."

They came to another, wider stretch of hall, ending with a door. The floor was covered with what closely resembled bear traps.

"Uh... Garnet? Now would be a real good time to tell me if I can fly or something."

She looked at him for a moment. "I don't think that you can."

Steven frowned. "So... do you wanna try a different hall?"

"The door is already shut."

He sighed. "Fine, fine, whatever. What's the plan?"

"Don't have one."

He gave her a look. "Seriously?"

Garnet nodded.

"But you always have a plan!"

"This time I don't. I want you to figure something out."

"Me? I dunno." He mumbled. "Uhh... what would you do if Mom was here instead of me?"

"I would throw her across."

"Really?" He asked with a snicker. "Can you throw-"

"No."

"Ugh, fine. Hey, how would you get across, anyway?"

"Our bodies are much more resistant than human bodies."

Steven raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Garnet smiled. "I would walk across."

His eyes widened. "Duh!" He exclaimed. "You're, like, super tough! You can just carry me across!"

"That's right." She said, lifting him up in one arm. Seeing his downfallen expression, she added, "You got there eventually."

"Yeah, but still. If this was, like, a battle, we would be totally screwed!"

"Language."

Steven was silent for a few moments, watching the ground. Garnet stepped directly into each trap, not even reacting as they clamped down onto her feet and legs.

"That's awesome." He mumbled.

"I know."

Garnet set him down as they walked through the second door, letting him get a better view of the chamber. It looked very similar to the previous chamber that had a secret button. However, the walls of this room were lined with small holes.

Steven began to step over to one, but Garnet reached down, stopping him.

"Don't." She said simply.

"But-"

"You would lose your finger."

He sighed. "Okay. It's your turn to make a plan, anyway. Whadda think comes out of these holes? Fire? Uh.... bullets?"

She shook her head. "Bullets are a human invention. Fire, possibly."

"So, what's the plan?" He asked, fidgeting.

"You tell me."

"Ugh, fine." He looked over the room again. "How 'bout we run through?"

"Try again."

"No, seriously, I'm sure we can-"

"Steven."

"Okay, okay." He plopped down roughly onto the floor. "I'm gettin' real sick of this... death trap."

Garnet took a seat next to him. "Maybe a song will help."

"A song?" He shot her a look. "Okay... I guess?"

The boy pulled his ukelele up over his head, beginning to strum it.

_Oooooh,_

_We're trapped in a super freaky dungeon,_

_I think this is where we're gonna die,_

_Garnet thinks I can make a really good plan,_

_But I just wanna lay down and cry._

_Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo._

_This is awful, this is awful, this is awful,_

_I'm gonna starve to death._

_This is awful, this is awful, this is awful,_

Steven paused. "Wait, what rhymes with death? Uh... breath? Hm... Me-"

"Thank you for for the song." Garnet interrupted a little bit forcefully. "I have a plan if you're sure that you don't want to come up with one."

"Nice!" He exclaimed, jumping up. "I knew you would say that if I stalled long enough."

She sighed. "Some kind of projectile fires out of these holes. It will most likely harm or even kill us."

"Yeah, I think I got that."

"Near the bottom of the wall, however, the holes end."

"Oh, uh, okay. We gotta crawl, then." He laid back down onto the floor, waiting for Garnet to follow.

She laid down next to him. "Lead the way."

Steven was able to crawl on his hands and knees easily, but Garnet, being nowhere near his small stature, had to shuffle along the floor to stay low enough.

As they stood at the opposite side, Steven asked, "Do you think we'll ever know what was in those hole thingys?"

"No."

Steven placed a hand on the wall to steady himself as the ground began to rumble again. The door slid open to reveal the next room.

"Ugh. I hope this is the last one."

"You're dizzy again," Garnet stated.

He made a clicking sound, making finger guns at her. "Yep! But whatever. It's just 'cause of my stupid useless powers."

"Hm."

The next room was completely empty, with just a platform in the middle. Atop it was a single button.

"Pshh, that's super obvious!" Steven scoffed, already reaching for it.

"Wait."

"Ugh, what now?" He turned around. "You think it's a trap or something?"

"Possibly. Let's think this through."

"Hmmm...." He thought for a moment. "We could, just, not push it?"

"Explain."

"Uh, well, this is a really lame idea..."

She frowned. "I want to hear it."

"I was just thinking, maybe there's another way to open the door?"

Garnet looked at the door he mentioned. "That's a great idea."

"Really?" He walked over to it. "It looks pretty dang solid."

"Language." She summoned one of her gauntlets.

Steven grinned. "Can you punch it?"

"Yes." And she did, creating a wide hole in the door. Summoning her other gauntlet, she continued to punch it until they were able to both fit through.

Steven followed her through into a circular chamber. "Ugh!" He exclaimed. "We're back here again! It feels like we're just going around in circles!" He sat down on the floor, leaning his back against the wall.

Garnet sat down beside him. "We'll be out of here soon. Let's keep going."

"No."

"Steven."

He groaned. "I don't wanna keep going! You keep saying that, but nothing is happening! Missions are supposed to be awesome and stuff, but we've been stuck here for like an hour! Maybe it's just time to give up."

"We can't give up."

"Yes we can! You don't get it! You have special powers, and you don't need to eat or anything, but I do!" He frowned. "Let's just go!"

"We can't just leave. The entrance is closed off."

"Wait, what?" He gave her a look. "That's not what I mean. You have punching powers. Just... get us out."

"I could do that."

He stood up. "Then do it already!"

"It could be dangerous to cause that amount of damage to the pyramid."

"It's also dangerous to just let me starve!" He exclaimed. "I don't even care anymore!"

"Okay. Protect yourself." She said, standing up.

"Wait really? Uh..." He laid back down, covering his neck. "Is that good?"

Garnet nodded, summoning her gauntlets. "Eyes shut."

Steven groaned, but shut them anyway. A moment later, he heard a sound very similar to when Garnet had punched through the door.

"Alright."

He opened his eyes to see Garnet standing next to a hole in the wall, large enough for them both. He followed her through, out to a field of berries and weapons.

Steven sighed. "That was really lame."

She nodded. "Let's go home."

"Okay."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I warned you. There will be chapters coming out on a regular basis now, though.


	9. Sand in your Shoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, WizScooter here. I haven’t updated this story for a while, as I was facing a bit of writers’ block with it. But I guess my brain decided to throw some inspiration at me, so here we are. Hopefully I’ll update a bit more regularly.

“I hate the desert.” Steven groaned as he trudged behind the others. “It’s so hot, and all I’m doing is sweating.”

 

“We’re almost there.” Rose said with a sigh, looking back at him. “It’s a shame. Humans are so cute, but their forms are so inconvenient.”

 

“Ya got that right.” He mumbled.

 

“Here.” Garnet extended an hand to him.

 

Steven grabbed her hand in confusion. “Why-“

 

He was cut off as Garnet hauled him into the air, swinging him up until he was cradled in her surprisingly cold arms.

 

“Garneeeeettt!” Steven whined. “I’m not a baby!”

 

“Shhhh, it’s okay, baby Steven.” Garnet said with a grin.

 

Rose and Pearl were equally amused, and even Steven had to smile.

 

“Okay, okay.” He laughed. “I can walk!”

 

“No need.” Pearl announced. “We’re here!”

 

Steven squirmed out of Garnet’s arms, glancing around the sandy area. “Uh, this is just a bunch of pillars. Oh wow, and there’s more sand!” He said sarcastically.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Pearl exclaimed. “These are ancient designs for the Desert Temple.”

 

“The Desert Temple?”

 

Pearl nodded. “The corruption controlling the structure must have committed the plans to memory years ago.”

 

Steven hummed. “I guess that’s pretty cool.”

 

Garnet shot him a look. “Just as I told you. Missions are often exciting.”

 

He nodded. “I guess you just gotta work your way through the boring ones first.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Pearl rolled her eyes. “Oh please, you two didn’t even manage to finish that last one.”

 

“Hey, we had a good excuse!” Steven retorted.

 

“It was incredibly boring.” Garnet finished.

 

Rose cleared her throat. “Discuss it later, please. Right now, we need to focus on retrieving the pillow.”

 

“The pillow?” Steven asked.

 

“Well, not really, but it bears a striking resemblance.” She amended. “The Gem is imbedded within.”

 

“So... no monster?”

 

“Oh, don’t worry,” She smiled. “It’s still a corruption, it’ll just defend itself from within the cushion. In the right hands, this sand can be incredibly dangerous.”

 

Steven scooped up a fistful of sand, letting it fall through his fingers uselessly. “Okay...”

 

“Well then, we should begin.” Pearl said enthusiastically, summoning her spear. Garnet and Rose followed suit, falling into a battle stance. Steven tried his best to mimic them, spreading his feet further apart and holding up his fists.

 

“This would be a real great time to get my weapon.” Steven sighed.

 

“Oh!” Rose suddenly exclaimed. “Pearl has something for you!”

 

“That I do.” Pearl affirmed, materializing a small sword. She reached down carefully, offering the weapon to Steven. “You’ll need proper training before you can really use it, but for now, it can be extra protection.”

 

Steven took the sword in his hands. “Whoa.” Suddenly motivated, he let out a battle cry, raising the sword above his head.

 

“That’s the spirit!” Rose grinned, running into the crowd of half-built structures, Pearl right on her heels.

 

Steven hurried after them. Despite his slower speed, Garnet ran alongside him.

 

As they weaved through the towers, it became harder to find spaces between the lumps of sand, and Rose and Pearl disappeared from sight.

 

Garnet suddenly grabbed Steven by the wrist, pulling him roughly to the side. Steven looked up, startled, only to have dust fly into his face.

 

“It’s collapsing.” Garnet explained. “The corruption is protecting itself. We’re closing in on it.”

 

Steven nodded, quickening his pace as a set of stairs fell apart beside them. His hair blew into his face, protecting his eyes from the dust but impairing his vision. Garnet took ahold of his arm again, steering him clear of another pillar.

 

As he was pulled aside, he caught a glimpse of something pink. He swept his hair out of his face to see Rose, lifting Pearl higher into the air. It was a fruitless attempt to reach the corrupted cushion that was causing the whole sand mess.

 

As he looked on, Steven suddenly found himself hoisted into the air again by none other than Garnet.

 

“Garnet!” He cried out.

 

She ignored him, instead calling out, “Pearl! Heads up!” She had to shout to be heard over the wind, but Pearl turned her head.

 

Before he knew it, Steven was being hurled through the air. He barely had time to scream before falling into Pearl’s arms.

 

“What’s happenin-“ He tried to ask, but he was immediately soaring through the air again. The question was knocked out of him as he collided with something soft.

 

He looked down to see a pillow, shining with a bright green gemstone.

 

“Nice work, Steven!” Pearl called up to him. Still in a daze, he dropped the artifact down to her.

 

The first thing he heard was the sound of someone manifesting a bubble. The second thing he heard was a uncomfortably sudden silence. The wind was gone.

 

The third thing he heard was his own scream as the sand below him vanished, sending him plummeting to the ground.

 

He was cut off again, though, as Garnet caught him, breaking the fall. “Good job.”

 

“And look here!” Pearl came up beside them, a smile on her face and a white-tinted bubble in her hands. “Now it can be safely contained in the temple.” With a wave of her hands, the bubble faded away.

 

Rose ruffled his hair, grinning down at him. “Your first successful mission!”

 

Steven looked between each of of them for moment. He pushed himself out of Garnet’s arms, and back onto the sand, taking in a deep breath.

 

“Stop throwing me!” He shouted at them.

 

“Oh...” Rose said awkwardly. “Human bodies, huh?”

 

“No.” He pouted. “It’s just annoying.”

 

Garnet hummed. “I know what will cheer you up.”

 

Steven looked up suddenly, joy in his eyes. “Ice cream?!”

 

Garnet nodded, provoking a excited squee from Steven. “We have to make it back first.” She reminded, extending a hand to him.

 

“I can handle it!” He proclaimed, hands on his hips. “And I know what that hand means. I can walk!”

 

Rose laughed, wrapping an arm around Garnet’s shoulders. “Look who’s outsmarted, now!”

 

Pearl grinned alongside Rose, taking her spot by her side, wrapped around an arm.

 

Garnet smiled down at Steven, her hand still extended. “I’m sure you’re not too grown-up to walk with me.”

 

“I guess not.” He smiled back, taking her hand. “Besides, your hands are always cold.”

 

And with that, the four began the long walk back the way they came.

 

———————————————————————-

 

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“Um, guys?” Steven asked nervously, pointing to something pink in in the distance. “What’s that?”

 

Rose followed his gaze, her eyes widening as they came upon what appeared to be a large, pink, furry beast. “Oh no.”

 

“Rose? What is it?” Pearl asked, her grip on her arm tightening.

 

She looked back to them with a jolt, forcing a calm expression. “It’s just some sort of magic creature. Leave it be.”

 

“There’s a possibility that it could harm nearby humans.” Garnet chimed in.

 

“Nearby humans?” Rose scoffed. “No one comes out here.” She waved to the creature. “And look, it isn’t even attacking.”

 

“Okay...” Steven said unsurely, holding his sword out.

 

“Hey, it’s alright.” Rose assured it. “Let’s keep going. I know we’re all anxious to get home.”

 

He nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

 

They kept walking.


	10. Easy to Digest

“Thank you!” Steven exclaimed as he was handed three ice cream cones.

He handed one to Rose. “Rocky road for you!”

She grinned. “That’s my favorite!”

His smile faltered for a moment. “I know. You tell me that every time we get ice cream.”

She nodded, taking a lick. “It’s just very good.”

He turned to Garnet, handing her a cone of Neapolitan. “Here ya go!”

She gave a smile. “Thank you, Steven.”

“You’re welcome!” He took a large bite of his own ice cream, three scoops of vanilla. “Alright!” He proclaimed. “Now there’s room for ketchup!”

As they walked down the boardwalk, Steven couldn’t help but be distracted as he squeezed the ketchup out.

“Hey Pearl?”

“Yes, Steven?”

“Are you on a diet or something?” He paused to take another bite of his cone. “Cuz like, you don’t really eat this kinda stuff very often.”

The three Gems walking behind him exchanged a concerned look, of which Steven was completely oblivious to.

After a moment of silence, though, he turned around to see that they had stopped walking.

“That’s a weighty question, Steven.” Rose said softly. “Why don’t we take a seat?”

“Okay...?” He sat down on the edge of the boardwalk.

Rose and Garnet sat on either side of him, Pearl sitting by the former.

“Are you sure he’s ready for this?” She asked.

“He can handle it.”

“Uh, guys, I’m right here.” Steven reminded them.

Rose gave him a reassuring smile. “Steven, there are some things we need to discuss.”

“Okay?” He furrowed his eyebrows together in a look of confusion. “About what? ‘Cause Dad already told me about some...human...stuff, and I don’t really-“

“You already know that we’re not from this planet.” Garnet interrupted.

“Yeah, you guys are aliens.”

She nodded. “Gems are very different from Humans. We don’t feel hot or cold. We don’t need to eat, sleep, or drink.”

“Oh. Okay.” He took another bite of his ice cream, shooting a glance to Rose, who was licking hers. “But I’m a Gem, and I need to eat. And what about you and Rose?”

“You have a special nature, Steven.” Rose said. “While you are a Gem, your body is human. And as for me and Garnet, well, we simply enjoy eating.”

“I don’t see how.” Pearl chimed in. “It’s utterly repulsive! The way that mush slides through you, only to empty itself almost immediately!”

Steven took another bite. “That sounds awesome. But I guess it’d be cool to not have to eat or drink and stuff. Or have to eat healthy. I mean, I’ve never seen Garnet eat anything but sweets.”

He looked over to Garnet, who had already eaten all her ice cream, and was holding the empty cone.

“We should just get you a cup next time.” He suggested.

She gave a small smile. “It looks like you understand everything.” Steven caught her shooting a look past him, to Rose.

Rose laughed sheepishly. “Looks like you were right.”

“I’m always right.” She replied, pushing herself to her feet.

Steven laughed, following her. “You guys are really cool.”

“We are, aren’t we?” Rose set a hand on his head, tousling his hair.

They started walking back down the boardwalk, Garnet tossing her cone in a nearby trash can. Steven and Rose finished their ice cream at almost the same time.

“So what’re we doing the rest of today?” Steven asked as they approached the temple.

Rose hummed. “There’s no monsters that need dealt with right now, as far as I know.” She glanced to Garnet, who nodded. “No more missions today, then.” She continued. “I suppose we’ll just find something else to do.”

Steven bit his lip in thought. “You guys could help me plan my next birthday.”

Pearl frowned. “Isn’t that over two months away?”

“I know, right? I need to get to work!” He exclaimed. “It’s a big one, too. I’m turning 13!”

“Ohhhhh, okay then.” Pearl said, pretending like that explained everything.

Steven opened the door to their house, falling onto the couch. “And after that, we could plan your birthdays! They must be coming up, right?”

The Gems exchanged another set of glances between themselves.

Rose spoke up first, again. “Alright, but why don’t you go shower, first? We’ve been walking around in the heat all day.”

Steven groaned, but he started walking towards the bathroom. “See, if I was like you guys, I’d never have to shower!”

Rose chuckled as he shut the door to the bathroom. She waited until the water started, and turned to the others. “What do we tell him?” She asked, her voice hushed.

“He understood everything earlier.” Pearl reminded. “We could simply tell him the truth.”

“But he won’t always understand. He’s so young, and as a half-human...” She sighed. “Garnet?”

She frowned. “He’s very unpredictable.”

“Exactly!”

“He’s doing excellently on missions.” Pearl argued. “He’s showing maturity that even-“ She paused. “He’s showing a lot of responsibility.”

Rose sat down on the couch. “Maybe too much responsibility. He should be spending more time with humans.”

Pearl rolled her eyes discreetly, unseen by the others.

Garnet nodded. “There are other Gems in the ocean that will need to be dealt with soon. He’ll have to stay behind then.”

“Great!” Rose clapped her hands together. “We’ll find someone to play with him.”

Just then, the water shut off. Steven came out a moment later, a towel wrapped around his hair. “Are you guys ready for some birthday planning?” He asked excitedly.

The Gems’ faces went blank. They had never quite reached that point in the conversation.

“Guys?”

Pearl cleared her throat. “Steven, you know that we don’t do the same things as humans.”

“Yeah...?”

“Well, on our planet, we didn’t celebrate birthdays.” She continued. “It wasn’t a part of our... em, culture.” She said unsurely. “It would be... off-putting... to celebrate them now.”

Understanding creeped across the boy’s face. “Oh! That makes a lot of sense. I mean, you guys wouldn’t even have cake and stuff!”

Rose blinked. “That’s correct! It makes perfect sense.” She short Pearl a grateful look.

He nodded. “Connie was telling me how some of her relatives have different traditions. I guess you guys are just like that.”

Rose perked up. “Have you been playing with Connie?”

“No, she’s been out of town. We’ve been exchanging letters, though!” He grinned. “I think she’s gonna be back by tomorrow tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow tomorrow?”

“The day after tomorrow.” He explained. “She wanted to show me a book!”

“That’s wonderful!” She exclaimed. “We’ll be gone that day, but you can have her over.”

“I’ll call her as soon as she gets back!” Steven declared.

“You should invite her to your party.” Garnet suggested.

“My party?” Steven gasped. “Oh yeah, my birthday! We need to plan that!” He pulled out some paper and crayons. “I wanna invite lots of people! Dad, Connie, her parents, and you guys are gonna come, right?”

“Of course!”

“We’ll be there.”

“Why wouldn’t we come?”

He smiled. “Great! We’ll need balloons, streamers, cake, ice cream, candy...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit shorter than usual, but expect more updates soon! I'm going to try to start posting a chapter every other Tuesday.
> 
> I'm thinking about renaming this story, probably with a shorter name. Suggestions would be very appreciated!
> 
> In other news, I drew a new ref for this Steven:
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you guys for reading!


End file.
